It is often desirable to utilize firearm grip sleeves composed of rubber or other relatively soft elastomers in conjunction with standard factory-supplied firearm frame/grips for handguns. The use of a soft firearm grip sleeve assembly provides the user with a more secure grip. Such firearm grip assemblies often include ergonomic features such as finger ridges and palm swells to provide adequate security for holding the gun during recoil. The firearm grip assemblies may also provide a larger grip circumference than the standard factory-supply firearm grip to accommodate users with larger hands.
Elastomeric grip sleeves have limitations pertaining to how much coverage can be accomplished while maintaining an adequate attachment to the firearm. How far the sleeve is extended in any one direction has been traditionally limited by the assumption that the grip sleeve must stretch under tension to achieve the required support. As a result, conventional elastomeric grip sleeves have left the beavertail area of the host firearm uncovered. The beavertail area is where the web of the user's hand between the thumb and index finger is in contact with the firearm.
Various grip sleeves have been developed to provide coverage of the beavertail region of the firearm. However, these have included a hard rigid plastic portion as a support and sometimes are mechanically locked to the firearm using one of the firearm's pins. These features can make the prior art grip sleeves less comfortable to grip, more difficult to install, and more expensive to manufacture than a grip sleeve entirely formed only of an elastomeric material.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved firearm beavertail grip sleeve that provides a barrier between the frame/grip and hand to add comfort, control, and sight alignment. In this regard, the various embodiments of the present invention substantially fulfill at least some of these needs. In this respect, the firearm beavertail grip sleeve according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a barrier between the frame and hand to add comfort, control, and sight alignment.